Western Sydney Wanderers slump to first defeat

It was always going to take something special to inflict the first defeat on the Western Sydney Wanderers this season, but not even Brisbane Roar thought they would have to produce two candidates for goal of the season to do so.

An stunning Ivan Franjic volley - perhaps one of the A-League's greatest - and a superb solo effort by 19-year-old Kwame Yeboah sealed an emphatic 3-1 win for Brisbane Roar to move the club to the top of the table.

Only days after returning from international duty, Franjic struck a phenomenal right-foot volley that looked to have been the eventual winner, only for Yeboah to dribble past two players and score with a curling effort in injury time.

The tone of the Roar's dominant win was set immediately after kick-off. Just 49 seconds into his comeback, Besart Berisha almost had the home crowd celebrating the opening goal. The Albanian striker burst through the middle of the park and beat Wanderers defender Matthew Spiranovic for pace to let fly with a vicious left-foot shot, but he narrowly dragged it past the far post.

But there was to be no mistake from the Roar striker three minutes later. There were no signs of the hamstring injury that kept Berisha on the sidelines for the past four games as he dribbled his way through a stagnant Wanderers defence to move one-on-one with goalkeeper Ante Covic. A desperate lunge by Spiranovic prevented a simple finish but it allowed for an acrobatic follow up by Berisha, who converted the loose ball.

The Wanderers had never conceded so early in a match, and judging by the response, they weren't just shocked, they were stunned. Their usual high-pressing game was non-existent and, unusually, they were bullied off the ball. Before they had a chance to regather themselves, they were down by two.

An Henrique cutback on the edge of the area gave Franjic space from deep and he flicked the ball up on his right foot and then slammed a vicious volley into the opposite corner of the net.

The Wanderers had never conceded a goal in the first 20 minutes of a match. Just as the match appeared already out of their reach, the Wanderers were thrown a lifeline in the 28th minute. A horrendous pass by Jade North gifted Wanderers striker Mark Bridge the ball on the edge of the box and a clever through ball played Brendon Santalab through on goal to provide him an easy finish for his first goal at his new club.

The visitors' chances of clawing back were dealt a blow in the 42nd minute when marquee Shinji Ono left the field injured to be replaced by Labinot Haliti. The visitors jolted back to life as they were hit by the realisation that another Brisbane goal would have put the contest beyond their reach. They threw more bodies forward given the lack of midfield creativity lost by Ono's withdrawal and their change in style nearly led to the equaliser. Labinot Haliti's looped header beat Mike Theo in goals, but not the crossbar. As the ball bounced back into play, Shannon Cole latched onto the rebound and hit the side of the net with an acrobatic bicycle kick.

That close attempt gave the Wanderers more confidence, which was evident by their growing pressure on the ball and more expansive movement when in possession. The increased width gave Bridge space on the left and he skewed his shot inches wide. A speculative Tahj Minniecon attempt followed minutes later, but it was the home fans who would have the final cheer.

Substitute Yeboah exploited tired defenders, twisting them inside and then out, before unleashing a curling right-foot shot into the roof of the net.